Definition

1. Noun:

   • A playful leap or hop: A capriole is a lively, often exuberant jump, typically performed by a person or animal.
   • (Dressage) A vertical jump of a trained horse with a kick of the hind legs at the top of the jump: In classical horsemanship, a capriole is a demanding movement where the horse leaps straight up from the ground and kicks out its hind legs at the peak of the jump before landing.

2. Verb:

   • To perform a capriole, in ballet: To execute a jump where the dancer leaps into the air and beats the legs together.
   • To perform a capriole, of horses in dressage: For a horse to execute the specific dressage movement described above.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The young goat's joyful capriole over the log delighted the children.
  • The Lipizzaner stallion's perfect capriole was the highlight of the equestrian show.

• Verb:

  • The principal dancer will capriole across the stage in this sequence.
  • It takes years of training for a horse to learn to capriole correctly.

Advanced Usage

• "To execute a capriole": This phrase is often used in technical contexts like dressage or ballet to describe performing the movement with proper form.
  • The rider signaled the horse to execute a capriole.

Variants and Related Words

• Capriole can function as both a noun and a verb without changing form.
• Caper (noun/verb): A related word meaning a playful skip or leap, but less formal and without the specific technical meanings in dressage or ballet.

Synonyms

• Leap (noun/verb): To jump or spring a long way.
• Bound (noun/verb): To move forward with a leap or series of leaps.
• Cavort (verb): To jump or dance around excitedly. (This captures the playful aspect but not the technical precision.)

Related Phrases

• "Airs above the ground": This is a collective term in classical dressage for leaps like the capriole, courbette, and levade.

Noun

1. a playful leap or hop
2. (dressage) a vertical jump of a trained horse with a kick of the hind legs at the top of the jump

Verb

1. perform a capriole, in ballet
2. perform a capriole, of horses in dressage